Being kidnapped and confined was a first for me in my life. Generally speaking, if someone had that kind of experience, there’d be something wrong with them, but anyway, here we are.
Time lost in the grip of my bound limbs wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, and I was left alone in this space, continuously swallowing my pent-up frustration.
I could think about how I had done my best or how things might have turned out differently if I had been there instead of Neru, but those thoughts were meaningless. Anyway, Neru had managed to win against Toki, right?
It was a victory achieved through their combined efforts, but unfortunately, Rion’s home ground advantage was simply too great. It’s just a matter of viewing it that way.
The biggest downside of my confinement was how difficult it was to tell the time. Of course, it wasn’t that I couldn’t notice days passing by at all.
I just meant it in a rather annoying way, like time was dragging on forever.
If only Neru had been nearby, I could have spent some time teasing our little kiddo to kill time. Was she preparing for some unknown situations?
I guessed that Neru, isolated in another location, might be in a slightly worse predicament than I was.
Regardless, no matter what was happening outside, there was little I could do right now. While I could usually escape from ordinary constraints by myself, at this moment, I was kneeling before Rion’s thoroughness.
“For that reason, Toki-chan, what’s happening outside right now is… gulp.”
“I cannot disclose that, ma’am. Is that not what the President wishes for?”
I mumbled while gulping down the salad Toki had stuffed into my mouth. Of all things, why salad?
“I’ve heard that diet management is essential for idols.”
When I asked about that, the response I got felt a bit absurd.
“Ahaha, that’s not entirely wrong…”
It didn’t matter since I didn’t tend to eat much anyway and I didn’t really gain weight at all.
“Toki-chan, do you know what Rion-chan is planning to do now, or are you cooperating with her?”
“…I don’t know. There’s no necessity for me to know such things.”
“Really? Seriously? What if there’s a possibility that Aris-chan could die?”
“That’s…”
Toki tilted her head. She shook her head while maintaining her expressionless face as she turned to me.
“This is not a matter I should concern myself with. I am merely an agent raised to execute the President’s orders, and if she deems it right, then it is also right for me.”
“Uh… so?”
Thinking of it, Toki also had quite a long way to go. Even the original Rion was unreasonable. To raise such a blind subordinate and then suddenly run away from her position as President while abandoning Toki.
Now that I think about it, I was more afraid that something far more terrible than Rion abandoning her position might happen.
If I recalled how Rion had shown herself to me, my concern was definitely not excessive.
If she were brought to tears in front of me due to her collapsing state, and Rion’s plans succeeded, pushing Aris into death, could Rion’s mind really stay intact then?
Absolutely, definitely not.
This time, it wasn’t about Rion running away from her Presidency; it would be more about her collapsing under the weight of her guilt.
And what if Aris really died before that? No matter how rational and reasonable Rion’s reasons were… it would be nearly impossible to be forgiven.
The Game Development Club might end up hating Rion. Our dear Neru, who had lost a precious friend, would surely feel the same.
So, I had to stop this from happening. Yet the real problem was that I had no way to escape this situation on my own.
“Toki-chan, I need to brush my teeth… can you just loosen my hands a bit?”
“Of course not! As a perfect agent, I won’t fall for such shallow tricks, ma’am.”
…That wasn’t a lie though.
Of course, what would happen after I brushed my teeth was speculation, but…
“I’ll assist you.”
“What…?”
Toki, who said she would help, briefly left the room. Not long after, she returned with a toothbrush, toothpaste, a cup filled with water, and an empty cup in hand.
“…Um, I don’t think this is quite right.”
“It’s fine. I’m also new to helping with this, but I’m confident I can handle it kindly.”
Despite her expressionless face, Toki declared with overflowing confidence.
“I am a perfect agent, after all.”
That word ‘perfect’… please, no more…
There’s absolutely no need to be perfect in circumstances like this!
“Ah, go ahead.”
“I, I don’t want to… I’m not a child, this feels so muffled…!”
That day, I felt as though I’d lost something precious.
…To add to that, both claims of being perfect and offering kindness were entirely true.
*
“…The fact that Aris-chan hasn’t returned yet means, this is definitely it.”
Himari frowned. Finally, enough puzzle pieces had gathered to summarize the situation.
“Before we get into that, there’s something I need to explain to you all. About Aris-chan’s true identity.”
“Aris-chan’s true identity, you say…?”
“I’ve never heard about this before. Why Aris?”
The audience expressed their confusion with her words.
“Wait, wait! The true identity of Aris-chan? Himari-senpai, I knew that kid was a bit special, but was it something to the level of needing to express that as her true identity?”
Yuuka, who had joined late, looked shocked. She didn’t yet know that the coming shock would plunge her into even greater confusion.
“Yes, the true identity of Aris-chan. Currently, only a handful of people are aware of it… Just me, Rion, and Mikamo-chan. In total, only three people know this truth. Ahem.”
Having cleared her throat once, Himari began her serious discourse.
“Aris-chan’s true identity is a robot found by the Game Development Club in the ruins. This part is known not just by us three but also by the teacher at Shalle, the Game Development Club, and the Engineering Department.”
“So what’s this true identity supposed to mean, Leader?”
“I was just about to get to that, Amy. The true identity is… a weapon assigned the role of commanding the army of Nameless Priests hidden somewhere in the world. Yes, that would be the correct expression.”
“…?!”
“Of course, that thought belongs only to Rion, that filthy woman. It’s just a delusion she’s having on her own. However, Rion is the type of person who acts without hesitation if it’s something she believes is right…”
“…It can’t be, right?”
Yuuka asked, her face filled with disbelief. Unfortunately, Himari provided a response that perfectly matched the anxiety contained in her question.
“Regrettably, that thought is indeed correct. Rion is the type to likely eliminate threats, so she probably intends to destroy Aris’s Halo. Once we reach this point, all the puzzle pieces fit together.”
“…That certainly makes sense. Knowing Aris-chan’s identity from the start, she first dealt with Mikamo-chan, who would likely be the biggest obstacle later on. As for Neru-senpai, she probably didn’t follow Rion’s orders so much as she got caught up trying to help Mikamo-chan instead. It seems wise to treat it that way.”
“I don’t know what method she used to subdue those two, but it sounds like we’re in a pretty hopeless situation. Having seen those two fighting in front of me, it’s easy to say that if Rion has a way to restrain them…”
Yuuka’s words trailed off, but everyone understood what she hadn’t said. It was probably something like, “How could we even have a chance?”
“Yuuka-chan, just in case, are you thinking of giving up?”
“What? What do you take me for, Noah? With the possibility that Aris-chan might die, how can I even consider bailing just because the odds are against us?”
“Fufu. Then that settles it. After all, we have ways to replenish our strength. The teacher at Shalle will also help us…”
Many were enraged upon hearing that Mikamo had been kidnapped, and these individuals promised to become the biggest force in resolving this crisis.
“Perhaps Rion’s biggest mistake was trying to deal with Mikamo-chan beforehand, don’t you think? ♪”
Hearing Noah’s words, everyone gasped. Himari even burst into laughter.
Just the first name that came to mind was Sorasaki Hina, known as the literal embodiment of Gehenna’s force. If all forces were to combine, it was certainly possible to suppress the cards Rion had prepared.
“Then, from now on, we will implement operations to intercept Rion, who aims to destroy Aris-chan’s Halo, and to rescue Mikamo-chan and Mikamo Neru. As each individual is crucial in this situation, we will also seek assistance from Veritas, the Engineering Department, and the remaining members of C&C.”
“Yuuka and Noah, please retrieve the mirror that was confiscated again by the Seminar and connect it to Rion’s personal PC. I will check if there’s any additional information that we can extract from there.”
“And Amy.”
After swiftly issuing orders, Himari pointed to one last person.
“Yeah, Leader.”
“Please turn off the air conditioning. When did that get turned on?”
“…Tch.”
Pouting her lips, Amy turned away while clutching the remote.
*
[Azusa, I will leave the command of the Squad to you.]
[…What about Saori?]
[Right now, I have other affiliations. I’ll properly participate in the operation, so no need to worry.]
[RABBIT Squad’s juniors are also on standby for deployment. Hehe, if they rashly jumped into this, they might face punishment… but in a situation where Mikami needs help, I cannot afford to sit back, can I? If I don’t incinerate that Millennium’s Student Council President… heh heh.]
[I would prefer that you do that, but… regrettably, it seems our Mika-chan treats her as a friend. If that’s truly the case, you might end up being disliked, Wakamo-chan.]
[Uh… Indeed, that could be rather awkward…]
The uninvited guests began to climb onto the stage one by one.
Their numbers and quality were not something Rion could handle, but…
Rion’s plans were already on the brink of execution.
